The Perfect Crime
by nellchan0013
Summary: It's not stealing. It's taking back." With an ancient war buried in the histories of their ancestors, Drew and May are on opposite sides of the war here, but not back then. When old wounds reopen, nothing good can happen. Full Summary inside.T for safety
1. Late Night Take Out

**Author's notes:** Well, I apologize right now to my Made of Legends readers. I simply can't pull up the inspiration for the next chapter and I this idea had been stuck in my head for quite some time, so I thought I'd write it out finally.

I love ContestShipping, this is my first shot at it and I normally suck at romance, so please bear with me. I sincerely hope it's up to standards.

I'd love for reviews and suggestions to be left.

Thank you~

When Drew abruptly left the Contest scene, he didn't know how much it would cost him. When May's family relocates to his hometown because of the recent strings of robberies that have occurred, she didn't know how much old wounds could hurt. When these two meet again after so long, they don't realize just how deep their fates are intertwining; especially when the roots go back to their ancestry and to a battle that's sustained as long as Hoenn itself.

Chapter 1: Late Night Take-Out

* * *

Rehearsal:1.A session of exercise, drill, or practice, usually private, in preparation for a public performance, ceremony, etc.: a play rehearsal; a wedding rehearsal.

He laughed silently to himself as he recalled the dictionary definition of the word. It was merely a joke for him and Christine when they were running through his practice. She had wondered what they would find under 'rehearsal', (though being significantly older than him, she should have known the word's meaning)and the two had pulled a dictionary off the shelves of her home. In truth, it was just a way to alleviate the anxiety that had gnawed away in the pit of his stomach. Chris knew it too; there was hardly a thing in the world that he could keep secret from her.

"Well, you seem to be making good progress. Nikki's just sent me a message; looks like the police are on their way, so I highly suggest making your exit now." A female voice crackled in his ear. She sounded completely lax and he could see Chris sitting back in her favorite leather wheeled chair, speaking into a microphone headset while staring at the various computer screens that surrounded her, each one vital to his survival.

"One step ahead of you, Chris." He smirked audibly and though it made no sound, he heard her emerald eyes roll upwards in annoyance. "Let's go Flygon!" He pulled a small red-and white sphere from his pocket, enlarging it and pressing the white button in the middle.

A bright light flashed and the room he was in seemed smaller already as a large, dragon-shaped figure took up a good portion of space. His various shades of green contrasted nicely with the red that appeared occasionally and through his eyes, covered by a lens that could only be described as red goggles, he glanced at his trainer, a happy cry leaving the Pokémon.

"Nice job. But you're still inside the building. Flygon's not going to help much." Chris remarked dryly. Admittedly, she knew where the scenario was heading. Her cousin was too predictable for her taste. Still, the blinking red dots on one of her screens were quickly approaching the sole green dot that was her cousin and she couldn't help but feel a little nervous for him.

"Relax." He replied, flicking his hair out of his eyes. "Flygon, let's create an exit. I'm sure that the regular one won't be of much use." He joked and he heard her scoff through the earpiece. "What? Breaking a few windows won't hurt!"

And as Chris tried to protest, she was drowned out as Flygon's fan like tail, a smaller replica of his red lined green wings, smashed into one of the walls that was completely made of glass that overlooked a serene portion of LaRousse. At least, it was serene until Flygon made sure a shower of glass would rain down on the view.

Almost immediately, the room glowed red, a piercing alarm ringing throughout the room. Flygon stepped out of the hole he just made, hovering in the air near the window as he waited patiently for his trainer.

"Got what you needed?" Chris asked, worry subsiding somewhat. It was unexplainable, but she always felt more comfortable when there was an alarm going off then when rooms stayed silent. An alarm meant that someone was waiting; nothing meant someone was expecting them. Nothing meant that it was easy and easy was never good; not in their business.

"No. I came all the way here to break in and I'm leaving empty-handed." He remarked sarcastically, pulling out a small, black drawstring pouch that had something inside it.

"Oh, then you're even more of an idiot than I thought. What do you do the breaking in for? The thrill?" Chris scoffed in reply, swiveling in her seat. He knew the drill from there and she didn't need to baby him anymore. "Just get out before security gets there."

"Don't be such a nag.' He grinned, running towards the shattered windows as a thudding noise came from the door opposite of the room. "Oooh, nice call there; you've done this before haven't you?" he joked.

"Maybe, but what you're doing is easy compared to what I did."

He hopped down onto Flygon's back, gently tapping the Pokémon's sides. They took off, the high wind whistling in his ears as Flygon darted in and about LaRousse's technologically advanced skyscrapers. For good measure, the Dragon type glided past the monorail system before pumping his wings over to the acclaimed Battle Tower. It was a sight they had seen so many times, yet never tired of. LaRousse city was where he truly felt at ease; even if he was being labeled at the moment as a thief.

Flygon ascended up into the air, cloaked by the clouds and his clothes felt drenched. "Flygon, let's head back. Chris'll chew our ears off if we don't make it back soon." He grumbled, though truth be told, he didn't like the cold air.

"Gon!" the Pokémon craned his neck to grin happily at his trainer before dive-bombing down back to the earth. His green wings were tucked in closely, cutting off some of the stinging chilled wind that was biting at his trainer's exposed skin. They burst through the clouds and were in a different part of LaRousse. It was one that seemed more in touch with nature, rather than full of gadgets and gizmos that the city was famous for. There was lush, green grass that seemed to sway with the wind and a forest lined the backs of houses. Speaking of, the homes were very nicely spaced, about a minute walk from each one. He knew. He'd timed them once.

Flygon landed near a very isolated home, closer to the small forest than the other homes. It was two-story house, painted white with a clean blue roof. The lights were on in almost all the windows and he rolled his eyes. Chris loved to waste the electricity. Behind the house was a fenced off area that contained multiple Pokémon who were fast asleep, results from the many captures she had made during her own trips almost a decade ago.

"Return, Flygon." He pulled out the Pokeball, a red light hitting the Dragon type square in the chest and recalled it back into the Pokeball. He shrank the capsule to its more convenient size before waltzing up to the front door.

It swung open before he had a chance to pick the lock (he had left his keys in his room) and there stood his cousin, looking proud and slightly relieved. "I'd say that that was a job well done. Told you those extra hours of practice were worth it."

He rolled his chartreuse eyes at her, tossing the small drawstring pouch into her waiting hands. "Why would I practice? It's hard to improve on perfection." He grinned cockily, walking past her and up the steps, the floorboards creaking under his weight. "I'll be up finishing homework if you need me." He raised a hand in departure as Chris shut the door, inspecting the jewel that was inside the pouch.

Another clean hit.

Xxx

Whoo, and there's chapter one~

Again, please leave a review; I really want to know what people think about this.

nellchan


	2. New Students, New Disasters

Thank you so much for the reviews and alerts; you don't even know how much it picked up my day. This chapter is sort of filler, I suppose; nothing too radical or exciting but you do get a dose of history~

**In no way, shape, or form do I own Pokémon or Drew and May's last names. I do however, own Chris and Nikki. Oh, I don't own the concept of horizontal gravity; that's my math teacher.**

Part of the chapter is a tribute to HeartGold and SoulSilver (which are extremely fun games, by the way. The new Pokethelon thing is so much fun. My Quilava owns at it.)

Thanks to Bulbapedia for the information on the Legendaries on here~ I made it a mix of the information off of Bulbapedia, the anime, the manga and some information from my mind, which I'm sure is from the anime….

There's going to be some clichés here, but hey, it makes the story more fun~

Oh, before I forget: May's 17, Drew's 18 aaaand Jack and Garrett are both 18.

And, as always, pleeeeeasssseee review; even if it's two words. Or one!

Chapter 2: New Students, new disasters

* * *

There's nothing like waking up in the morning to the smell of smoke. Ha. Yeah, right.

Drew Hayden hated waking up to Monday mornings that way. Heck, he hated waking up that way every day, but when you lived in a place like his, you had to get used to it. The ex-Coordinator rolled over in his bed, pulling his pillow over his face in an effort to block out the burned smell that was wafting into his room. Maybe if he closed his eyes and counted to ten, it'd all turn out to be a dream. There went the fire alarm and that hope.

He groaned tiredly, every muscle in his body screaming for more rest as he sat up in his loose fitting pajamas. What he wouldn't give to grab a few extra hours in Cresslia's realm. A long yawn left him as he stretched out his arms. As he stood, his body protested clearly and he winced at the slight sting before effectively brushing it off. A good breakfast would clear that up.

But wait...she was cooking. Or trying to. Again. Drew had to laugh at her antics. He thought she would have given up learning how to cook by the 5th time she had almost burned the house down.

The distinct roar of a Salamence came in through his slightly open window and he thanked Arceus. He was here, which meant that breakfast could be salvaged somewhat. That also meant he needed to be ready soon. Drew grabbed his usual attire: a black short-sleeved shirt, his black pullover and jeans. He was starting to like the shade of black. It made matching easier and he didn't have time to think about his clothing.

By the time he had collected his school supplies (scattered all over his room), the air was breathable. He grabbed his chain of Pokeballs on the desk near the door, clipping them on before shutting shut the entrance to his room and making his way down the steps to the kitchen.

"You know, one of these days, the LaRousse police are going to arrest you for air pollution." Drew joked as he entered the kitchen, smoke still slightly in the air. "Morning Chris, Nikolai."

"One of these days, you're going to wake up underwater." Chris retorted, whirling on her heels. She had been opening the window above the kitchen sink in an effort to release the smoke. "Glad to see you didn't decide to sleep in today." She smirked, taking a seat at the round table in the middle of the kitchen.

"Yeah, me too." He grumbled. "Never again after last week's punishment."

"Actually," Nikolai interrupted from the stove, "that punishment was for more than waking up late. Your times and reactions were slipping." He said matter-of-factly as he slid scrambled eggs onto a plate of toast. (Which wasn't burned). It was the usual Monday morning breakfast for Drew, but it was different every time. Nikolai always infused the food with some sort of energy booster when he knew that Drew would need it; it was quite terrifying actually. Not the food, but the information that Nikolai always had in his mind.

"And your grades were starting to slip." Chris added as Nikolai served Drew and handed Chris a cup of coffee. "Thanks Nikki. You know," she took a sip of the drink, making a face when it burned her tongue, "you should really just move in; it'd make our lives easier."

"I second that." Drew said, smirking at the red blush that was beginning to tint Nikolai's face. "We could avert a case of food poisoning if you did." He ducked a swat from Chris, grinning as he took a spoonful of eggs.

"I'd watch myself if I were you." She warned, narrowing her eyes at him. "I might poison you for real." She grumbled, taking another sip of coffee. "Now hurry up and eat! If we're late, I'm giving you detention."

Xxx

For the record, it sucks to be a new kid at school. What sucks even more is when you have no idea where you are and no one really wants to help you or doesn't pay much attention to you. That was the problem that May was currently facing as she stood in front of the double doors that entered into her new school, Trainers and Coordinators filing past her as she tried to figure out her map.

It wasn't that it was confusing; it was that she felt so alone in the environment. It would have been slightly better if she had a friend with her and really, that's all she wanted at the moment. She sighed in defeat, comparing her schedule with her map; she might as well head to her first class anyway.

First up: Room 213. Something about Myths in the Pokémon world.

With another sigh, May readjusted her backpack, heading into the school as the bell to go to class rang loudly and clearly through the campus.

Moving, in one word, sucked. When she had returned briefly from her escapades as a Coordinator, her parents had dropped the bomb on her: they were moving to LaRousse because the Pokémon League of Hoenn had decided that Norman would be needed there for a specific reason. They were sending in a replacement for him; one who Norman had approved of. May had been given the choice to go with her family or continue her journey. In all honesty, she didn't really care; Contests hadn't been as much fun when her rival had vanished without a trace. Upon their moving and settlement, May had learned that her father was to help the LaRousse Police catch the roving thief that had been plaguing them periodically. And now here she was, going to school.

Whoopee.

She glanced at her map again and then to her surroundings. Okay, so maybe she _didn't _know where she was going. Two students passed by her, a boy and a girl and she stopped them. "Excuse me, um, I was wondering if you could tell me where room 213 was?" She asked timidly.

"Before you say anything, Garrett, shut up." The girl snapped at the guy, clamping a hand over the guy's mouth. "I'm doing this as your friend." she hissed to him before turning to May. "That's our first period, actually. Why don't you join us? I'm Jack, and this is Garrett." She said his name with disdain as the mentioned rolled his bright blue eyes at her.

"It's nice to meet you two; I'm May." She returned, a slight weight lifted off her shoulders. They seemed friendly...ish. It seemed to her right away that Jack was the one who kept Garrett in line, evident by the way she spoke to him on their way to the class.

"By the way, Jack," Garrett said suddenly in the middle of a conversation, "your debt now rounds up to twenty-four." He snapped his fingers in realization. "Visetti won the race. Honestly, you have to stop betting on Rusinek...he's never going to win against her."

Jack cursed silently. "I'll bring your winnings tomorrow, I promise." She sighed.

"She always says that." Garrett shrugged to May, a teasing grin on his face. "She's got worse memory than a Slowking with amnesia."

"Hey, do me a favor and shut up." She snapped, stopping in front of a door, yanking it open angrily. "Morning Ms. Visetti." She grumbled.

"What'd Garrett do this time?"

"Why do people always assume I'm the one who puts Jack in a bad mood?" Garrett protested as he held the door open for May. "That's preposterous! Nice win this morning by the way."

Ms. Visetti, or so May presumed she was, was a young woman in her early twenties if she had to guess (slightly young for a teacher was the thought in the back of her mind). Her light brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and her emerald eyes sparkled upon seeing May.

"Well, you must be the new student, May right? Welcome to class. Glad to see you've met those two. They're lively...to say the least." She glared at Jack and Garrett, who gave her sly grins before sliding into their seats on the right side of the room. "Well, I'd like to seat you with them, but Arceus knows how that'll turn out...and I only have one empty seat..." She muttered, taking a quick look around the room.

May copied her, her chocolate brown eyes scanning the rows of paired desks that lined the room. The only open seat she saw was in the back near the window, right next to a blob of black clothing who she guessed was sleeping.

"No helping it then...." Ms. Visetti grumbled. She picked up an Expo marker from her desk, tossing it up and down in her hand. "Hold on one second." She reared her hand back before throwing the marker at the figure.

If she hadn't been in the room, May wouldn't have believed it. The person had suddenly sprung to life, catching the marker before it hit him.

"Nice try, Chris, but you'll have to throw faster next time." He scoffed, tossing the marker back.

"Who said I threw the marker? It was horizontal gravity." She remarked. "And don't sleep in my class; that's rude. May, you'll have to put up with Drew in the meantime."

No one else could feel the awkward air that had coated them.

Xxx

Drew was more than ready to hurt his cousin. Not literally though; he'd never admit it (as in, even under torture he wouldn't), but she was stronger than him in both strength and battle. Of course, she'd only been doing the job he had for about half a decade so naturally she one-upped him. But he was ready to chew her out for the situation she was putting him in. Of coupe, she didn't _know_ that May was an old rival (he used that term pretty loosely. Rivals didn't like each other most of the time and he considered her a friend; sort of). How could she? It was just his luck to have May seated next to him. Great.

"Alright you guys; turn your books to page 185. Drew, be a nice boy and share with her." Chris said, throwing him a smirk. Okay...maybe she did know about the rivalry. That smirk said it all.

Well, it didn't matter; he'd just have to pretend that nothing ever happened. He'd treat May like he did everyone else at school: he'd ignore them. Which was definitely out of his natural character. But it wasn't like he'd gone to school willingly. He'd literally been pulled out of his Contest world to be situated in LaRousse. Under normal circumstances, he'd been the number one person there. Which he still was; he still had his good looks without the personality. It was just like the Contest scene, but even there he didn't like the fan girls...or the clubs. But it came with being who he was. It was just his choice to ignore it all.

May, for her part, was doing a fantastic job. He could tell that she was trying hard not to say anything. The glances she kept casting his way told him that she was definitely smothering her need to either blow up at him or bombard him with questions until his head was spinning more than a Spinda.

Anyway, he supposed he should have turned his attention to the lesson. Page 185...

"Ahh, so, how many people here, as I know you've all had journeys before hand, have traveled to the Johto region's Ecruteak City ?" Chris asked, interrupting Drew's train of thought.

A few hands went up, among them: Jack and Garrett and May and Drew.

Drew was becoming slightly murderous now. Chris had no idea how while he was in the Johto region, he'd run into May (and Soledad and Harley) in that particular city and how the two of them had went on a semi-date. But...that was a long time ago. Still, he didn't fail to see the pink tinge on May's face.

"Wonderful. So, the lot of you must have visited the Burned Tower ?" She assumed, excitement lighting up her face. She grabbed a small clicker off her desk, shutting off the lights by pressing a switch that read 'on/off' and then, she pointed it at the projector in the ceiling in the middle of the class, pressing the green button on the remote.

This was one of the moments that Drew sincerely thought that Chris had lost it; she became so passionate in the world of legends that it made it hard for the girl to decipher reality from fiction. Then again, that's what Nikolai was for. He was the person who pulled her back down to earth.

The projector finally started up, its almost silent whirring the only sound heard in the class; hardly anyone was as awake as Chris on a Monday morning. Not that the teacher minded; she pulled up a presentation onto the whiteboard, showcasing three familiar Pokémon. "_Two towers... Two Pokémon... But when one burned down, both Pokémon flew away, never to return." _Chris said in so softly a voice that it was almost impossible to hear. "This saying, well, legend, is passed down by the Ecruteak Gym Leaders. Don't ask how I know it. About 700 years ago, the people of Ecruteak built two nine-tier towers in order to create an environment that would encourage peace between Pokémon and humans."

She flicked on to the next slide, showing the same towers she had mentioned. "In the west lay the Brass Tower , believed to awaken Pokémon while the Tin Tower in the east provided a place for Pokémon to rest."

The next slide. One of the towers was burning; a jagged bolt of lightning dashing across the top of the slide to connect with the top of the tower. "150 years ago, the Brass Tower was struck by lightning and burned for three days. It was quelled only when the Slowpoke of, what city was it that had Slowpoke in their Legend?"

"Azalea." The class chorused.

"Good, when the Slowpoke of Azalea Town used Yawn. The phenomenon is still a mystery to this day. Continuing on…" Chris changed the slide yet again and this showed a more recent picture of the city's tower. "This is what Lugia's home resembled after. He resides now in the Whirl Islands , or so researchers believe. Ho-Oh left his home in the Tin Tower as well. Legend says that he will return when a Trainer with a pure heart appears. But that's for another day. Today, our main focus are these three."

The slide show went back to a picture of the three Pokémon in the opening of the slideshow. "Class, names?"

There was a flurry of different answers, mixing together to come out as nonsense. "Right… I think I heard: Suicune, Entei, and Raikou…" Chris grinned. "There are two different pathways that their Legend branches. Who can name one of those? Jack?"

The grey eyed girl seemed to sit up straighter, earning a snort from Garrett, who Jack proceeded to slap on the shoulder before continuing to answer. "Raikou is to embody the thunder that struck the tower, Entei the fire that burned and Suicune the rain that put it out."

"Very good!" Chris exclaimed. "That's exactly right. It's said that three Pokémon perished in the fire and that Ho-Oh took pity on them, resurrecting them to embody those three elements. There's another one that researchers are still skeptical on. Anyone?"

The class stayed silent for a while until Drew heaved a heavy sigh and raised his hand. He knew this reason like the back of his hand. Nikolai and Chris constantly argued (nicely, of course) over this.

"Drew. Enlighten us." There was that annoying hint of a smirk in her voice.

"Not much evidence supports it, but it's believed the three Pokémon who died in the fire were Eveelutions: Vaporeon, Flareon, and Jolteon. Those three were brought back to life and represent their respective elements." He answered.

"Nice job! I'm so glad you guys actually know this subject matter!" She gushed, flipping over to the next slide, which showcased the three Pokémon Drew had mentioned. "Right, there's a belief that the three Pokémon who suffered were indeed these three, but again, the evidence is small. Now, the three Legendary Beasts are thought to roam Hoenn in order to find the Trainer that Ho-Oh awaits for. One of these three also have another embodiment…anyone want to take a crack at it?"

"It's the North Wind." Garrett yelled. He was promptly rewarded by a marker making contact with his head. "Ouch…"

"Horizontal Gravity attacks those who yell out in my class, but yes, that's correct. Suicune, who Garrett forgot to mention, also represents the North Wind. I'm almost out of time, so tonight's homework will be…" She went to the next slide, grinning maniacally. "Choose one of the three Beasts. Try not to overuse Suicune. Please. One year, my class did Suicune. I don't mind it, but I like variety, even if you have only three choices. Choose one of the three and do some research on them; I want two paragraphs, that's not a lot, on what you find about them individually and on what you think of them. Due tomorrow. Dismissed." She reached the last word as the bell rang once again and the students scrambled out of their seats.

Drew was out the door first, not giving May a chance to even talk to him as his black hood was lost in the crowd of students.

Xxx

Huge apologies if this chapter was bad.

Please leave any comments and reviews if you can; as well as suggestions or thoughts; any feedback at all~

Thanks!

nellchan


	3. Berries, Battles, and Confusion

Right, so inspiration for stories is actually pretty random...this was the chosen random fic!  
Though I'm obsessed with Black and White right now! I managed to get a copy of the Japanese versions and am in love with, not ChessShipping, but NxWhite! Haha!  
Wish I could implement B and W in this, but I can't! Yet.

Okay, so nell is taking elements from the game (before Gen V) and mixing them into the anime….because she wants to. And because I bet you guys didn't know about these things! Like the same-type power up and same shape power up thing ^^ If you did, bully for you!

**Disclaimer: **Pokemon, Drew, and May don't belong to me. Chris, Jack, Garrett, and Nikki do!

When Drew abruptly left the Contest scene, he didn't know how much it would cost him. When May's family relocates to his hometown because of the recent strings of robberies that have occurred, she didn't know how much old wounds could hurt. When these two meet again after so long, they don't realize just how deep their fates are intertwining; especially when the roots go back to their ancestry and to a battle that's sustained as long as Hoenn itself.

Chapter Three: Berries, Battles, and Confusion

Xxx

May didn't have time to dwell on Drew's obvious attempt to ignore her as Jack was standing by her, urging her to hurry so that they could make it to their next class. Garrett was waiting for them at the door, giving them an "about time" when they met up with him, earning a light slap to the head from Jack. All Garrett did in reply was roll his eyes and follow after them, giving May a reassuring grin when she gave him a worried look.

"I'm used to her friendly abuse." Garrett shrugged, avoiding a swat from Jack. "See?" He grinned widely when his friend gave him a glare. Winking at Jack and grinning at May, he gave them a quick wave to part with them at the crossroads of the hallway. "Well, have fun in Mr. Rusinek's class! I'll see you two later!" He called, merging in with a group of people that he recognized, laughing at the joke he had just managed to catch.

"So, how was sitting next to Drew?" Jack asked as she and May weaved in and around the hall on their way to class. She cast the new student a look, frowning when she caught sight of a light blush on the brown-haired girl's face. A groan left Jack and she proceeded to hit her head (lightly!) a few times on a nearby wall. "Not you, too! Another fan?"

"What?" May all but squeaked, voice rising several pitches. Immediately the blush colored the rest of her face and she buried her face in her hands, stopping in her tracks so that students had to walk around her. "No! Oh Arecues no! Drew was a friend of mine a while back, when I used to travel and stuff!" She explained, the blush having subsided some.

Jack looked at her skeptically, but sighed in relief. "Oh good, I thought it'd be another fan-girl. No offense, but I've no idea what they see in him. He's so…stand-offish. Good battler and great Coordinator, but too cold." She said matter-of-factly, motioning for May to follow her.

"He wasn't like that before, you know." May told her. "He was much, much worse. Arrogant, stuck-up, thinking that everyone loved him…." She listed, grinning with each trait. It was a bit nice to see Drew again, even though his initial reaction to seeing her hadn't exactly been the warmest welcome. There was no way she had changed that much in the past four or five years, so it wasn't that she was unrecognizable. It was him who had changed, for sure.

"Huh, sounds like it would be. I remember seeing his name a few times when Garrett and I were on the road. Man, as soon as we get out of here, I'm restarting my journey." The girl said, excitement fueling her eyes while she entered a classroom marked 574.

"Hey there Jack." The teacher greeted, looking up from the book he was staring down at. "Oh, new student hm? Nice to meet you, I'm Mr. Rusinek." He smiled warmly, chocolate brown eyes looking over May through a pair of glasses. "You must be May. Jack, can she take the empty seat next to you?"

Jack nodded, heading down to a table that looked like it belonged in a science lab of some sort. "So, this class is basically an entire class on Berries." The girl laughed softly at May's confused expression. "Yeah, I know… 'what type of school teaches a class about Berries?' Well, Mr. Rusinek knows more than you'd think; and it's pretty fun. The Pokemon are heavily involved in this."

May nodded slowly, giving the teacher a curious glance. He seemed more less the same age as Ms. Visetti (Arecues, where were people getting teachers these days) and his skin was slightly tan, as if he had grown up on an island of some sorts. From beside him, a Blissey was fussing over an assortment of Berries, inspecting each one with a slight frown.

When the bell rang, Mr. Rusinek set down the pen he had been using to write in the book and took off his glasses, giving the glass the same warm smile he had given May earlier. "Well, I guess that's my cue. Alright then, everyone up and pick out a Pokemon and let's head out to the Berry House!" He grinned, walking past Blissey to a door that lead to the outside.

"Well, I think I'll be using Rune for today." Jack told May, pulling out a Pokeball with a grin. "He's the most experienced battler and I've a feeling we'll need it; Mr. Rusinek brought out his Blissey, after all." The girl looked at May questioningly. "How about you?"

The ex-Coordinator glanced down at her six Pokeballs, hand hovering over Blaziken and Venasaur's. "Um…..I'm going with…Blaziken!" She concluded, snatching his Pokeball with conviction. Out of the six Pokemon she had with her, it seemed natural to use him in case a battle was involved….the Pokemon was part Fighting after all.

Jack's brow furrowed, as if she couldn't see or imagine May having a Pokemon like a Blaziken. She shrugged it off though, and they followed the rest of the class out of the classroom into what was, literally, a greenhouse. Rows and rows of Berry Plants lined the greenhouse, from the ones May had seen on her journey to others she didn't even know were Berries at all. Then there were ones she'd never seen before and her curiosity began to peak as Mr. Rusinek led them to a customary battle ground in the middle of all the plants.

"Okay, so today, I've got a special treat for you guys….anyone ever hear of an Enigma Berry before?" Mr. Rusinek asked the students, all of who had taken to sitting on the benches that lined the border of the field. No one raised their hands. "That's fine, that's fine….Bliss, can you go grab them, please?"

The Blissey nodded, walking off to a rather thick clump of green, disappearing into its mass. Mr. Rusinek turned to the rest of his class. "Alright, so today's supposed to be a battle day, because that's the best way to show this Berry's effect. I'll demonstrate for us….anyone have a Pokemon that useful against an Electric-type?"

In usual high-school fashion, the kids looked around at each other, each daring others to battle their teacher. Finally, a young man stepped forward, or rather, was shoved (in a friendly manner) to the front of the field. He was grinning rather bashfully, a light blush on his face.

"Oh, good! Alright then, Skyler, this is going to be good." Mr. Rusinek grinned, taking a spot in one of the boxes at the edge of the field while Skyler took the other side. At that moment, Blissey returned with a few buckets floating after her. "Right on time, Bliss. Hand one out to the students; okay class, what Blissey is handing each of you is an Enigma Berry; these Berries are incredibly taxing to grow, so don't think of stealing one from me." A laugh went up around the class at that.

The Engima berry was a teardrop shaped, with the tip containing a white circular stub. The main color of the berry was gray, but imprinted in some sort of white hue was a lined curve that made it look like question marks had been stamped onto the Berry itself. It was rather larger, about six inches or so and was hard; it made May wonder why any Trainer would want these, much less a Coordinator.

"Engima Berries are incredibly spicy and slightly dry. For those of you who are Coordinators, you may want to take note of that; your books should say something along the lines of "A completely enigmatic Berry. It apparently has the power of the stars that fill the night sky." Or something like that." Mr. Rusinek grinned. "But for the Trainer, the Engima Berry is probably one of the best Berries to have in battle. Skyler, your Pokemon?"

"If you say so, Mr. Rusinek." The guy grinned, tossing his Pokeball into the air. "Don't go easy on Garchomp and me, okay?" He said, giving the dual-type on the field a reassuring smile.

Mr. Rusinek smiled at him. "Don't worry; I'd never do that." He tossed the Pokeball on the field, releasing a rather serious looking Manectric. On close inspection, the Electric-type was holding the Engima Berry in one of his paws. "Okay, Skyler, I'd like you to attack Manectric with a few non-ground type moves to start off."

Jack was quickly analyzing the field, muttering things under her breath that May caught only occasionally. It seemed that the girl was really into battles and May was reminded of Misty for a second. "….what's up with these Berries?" Was all May heard as Skyler had his Grachomp release a Dragon Rush attack.

The class hissed as Manectric took the Dragon-attack full on. From beside May, Jack was calculating the damage. "It's really interesting…" Jack said, turning to face May. "See, if Sky had Garchomp use a move like Dragon Pulse, the attack would have been less effective. Grachomp's a Dragon type, so the move gets boosted because their same type. But because Sky used Dragon Rush, which involves those fins on Garchomp's arms, the move also gets a same shape boost."

"Where the heck did you learn this?" May asked, jaw dropped in awe. She'd always assumed that battles were just hit and misses, with Abilities coming into play every now and then.

"From Garrett's parents, actually. See, if your Blaziken used Blaze Kick, it'd not only get a boost for having the same type, but also because Blaze Kick is a move special to Blaziken. Only about three or four Pokemon can use it. Knowing the types and shapes can actually be advantageous in a battle." Jack said, refocusing on the battle, where Manectric was getting pretty beat up by Dragon Rush. "You can get maximum damage for a move that normal would only do regular damage."

"Right, Manectric, dodge." Mr. Rusinek ordered, neither him nor his Pokemon looking like they were taking this battle seriously. "Skyler, you can use the Ground-type move now." He told the student with a slight smile.

Skyler looked a bit nervous, but nodded to Garchomp with conviction. "You heard him, let's use Dig!" He ordered.

Instantly, the large Dragon-Ground type began to use his white pointed claws to burrow deep under the earth. Silence fell over the class as they focused their eyes on the field, each one trying to guess where the Pokemon might show up. Even Manectric was looking

The Lightning Rod Pokemon only managed a quick nod before getting rammed in the underside by Garchomp, who had taken the opportunity to attack. It happened in an instant that, if May hadn't had enough experience watching and participating in battles, she wouldn't have caught it. Manectric, as Garchomp attacked, maneuvered so that he managed to take a bite out of the Enigma Berry. Immediately, it looked like Garchomp's attack had no effect on Manectric and the Electric-type opened his mouth, white fangs coated with an icy blue. The Lightning Rod Pokemon bit down on the dual type and both hit the ground. The only difference was that Manectric was on his legs while Garchomp seemed rather…weak.

"That's enough. Bliss, if you will?" Mr. Rusinek inclined his head towards the Happiness Pokemon, who immediately rushed to Garchomp to help nurse it back to health. "Now, most of you are probably thinking, 'what the heck happened?' It seemed that Skyler had this battle in the bag, right?" He smiled as the class nodded. "See, that's the property of an Enigma Berry. When you're Pokemon is holding it in battle, it will change damage from a super-effective move into health for your Pokemon." Mr. Rusinek began petting his Manectric, still smiling. "Today's in-class assignment: partner up with someone and have a mock battle; give your Pokemon your Enigma Berry and see if you can't use it to your advantage." He stood tall, stretching. "The greenhouse will be a bit crowded, so feel free to use the practice fields outside! I'll be watching!"

Jack and May exchanged glances, both of them smiling widely. "Battle?" Jack asked, jerking her head to a nearby door leading out of the greenhouse.  
xxx

He was drowning somehow, being swallowed up by a darkness that seemed too strong to fight. There was nothing around him, everything gone, vanished, leaving him alone. Cold fear gripped him, an emotion he never let himself feel; he was Drew Hayden, fear wasn't in his emotional spectrum. Except for now, he guessed.

This same nightmare had been gripping him sporadically over the course of three weeks, sometimes in consecutive nights, and at other times, every other night. There was a message of some sort hidden in these dreams, as Chris and Nikki had told him. Chris refused to say what was going on with the nightmares, merely saying that he should pay attention to what was changing each time.

Well ,this time he knew; there was no light. There was nothing. Drew couldn't even tell if his eyes were open or closed or anything! And then suddenly,

'_So, you're my partner this time, huh? Well, I can't say that I'm too pleased.' _A voice was suddenly saying in his mind. It was mocking and scornful, too superior, even for Drew.

'_Yeah, well, the feeling's mutual.' _Drew thought back and 'oophed' when he was hit rather violently in the stomach by some uknown force.

'_You'd do well to learn manners, Hayden. Especially if you've any hope of us working in harmony. But since you can't see me…I'm guessing you haven't managed enough power yet. You should hurry. Our time is almost here.'_

There was a small laugh and then Drew woke up in the middle of his second period.

Xxx

Aw, the visitor ended up being meaner than planned...  
I will try to update this as soon as I can...  
Please review! And thank you to those who have!

-nell  
(NxWhite forever! Oh, if anyone could write a one shot for them, please! I'd love you forever!)


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